The Landscape of Natural-derived Biopolymer for 3D Printing
Cellulose, hydrogel, etc.
3D printing enables the production of the complex or customized structure at high speed and resolution. However, the lack of bio-based materials with user-defined biochemical and mechanical property is a significant barrier that limits the widespread adoption of 3D printing for product fabrication, such as in textile and apparel products. Development of eco-friendly natural- derived biopolymers for 3D printing technologies and their promising application in different areas are of huge academic and environmental interests.
Natural-derived feedstocks: lignocellulose, starch, algae, and chitosan-based biopolymers.
Lignocellulosic materials: cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and derivatives as 3D printing feedstocks.
Cellulose Nanofiber & PLA Composites for FDM 3D Printing
As direct digital manufacturing, 3D printing (3DP) technology provides new development directions and opportunities for the high-value utilization of a wide range of biological materials. Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and polylactic acid (PLA) biocomposite filaments for fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3DP were developed in this study. Firstly, CNF was isolated by enzymatic hydrolysis combined with high-pressure homogenization. CNF/PLA filaments were then prepared by melt-extrusion of PLA as the matrix and CNF as the filler. Thermal stability, mechanical performance, and water absorption property of biocomposite filaments and 3D-printed objects were analyzed. Findings showed that CNF increased the thermal stability of the PLA/PEG600/CNF composite. Compared to unfilled PLA FDM filaments, the CNF filled PLA biocomposite filament showed an increase of 33% in tensile strength and 19% in elongation at break, suggesting better compatibility for desktop FDM 3DP. This study provided a new potential for the high-value utilization of CNF in 3DP in consumer product applications.
Testing in thermal stability, mechanical performance, and water absorption rate revealed the following.
CNF/PLA/PEG600 composite compatibility for 3D printing textiles and apparel:
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High-quality network structure of CNF
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Increased thermal stability
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High water absorption rate
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Increase of 33% in tensile strength
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Increase of 19.5% in elongation at break